Could 12 marks an vital day within the historical past of the Xbox, as 20 years in the past, the Xbox 360 console was first revealed. Microsoft adopted a really totally different tactic for the debut of its Xbox successor, as as an alternative of a grand debut at an occasion like E3–like what Sony would do for the PlayStation 3–it as an alternative selected to point out off the console on MTV in a particular occasion hosted by Lord of the Rings actor Elijah Wooden.
The present even provided a musical efficiency by The Killers, whereas different well-known faces included rapper Lil’ John and musician Ryan Cabrera. Microsoft was no stranger to leveraging star energy on the time, because it had beforehand recruited Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson to exhibit the unique Xbox console alongside Microsoft co-founder Invoice Gates in 2001.
Known as MTV Presents Xbox: The Subsequent Technology Revealed, this was a wildly totally different strategy when in comparison with how new consoles are revealed right now. “Are you trying ahead to the Xbox 360?” Wooden requested Lil’ John in the course of the televised present. “Yeah, I am trying ahead to getting a free one tonight,” the performer answered with brutal honesty.
Two members from MTV’s automobile customization present Pimp My Journey had been additionally current for a fast interview, and the stay TV occasion even discovered time to briefly give attention to the video games that might be coming to Xbox 360.
Microsoft would not depend on MTV for its subsequent two console reveals, as it could exhibit the Xbox One in 2013 in a livestream from the Microsoft Campus in Redmond, Washington, whereas the Xbox Collection X console was first seen in the course of the 2019 Recreation Awards.
The Xbox 360 reveal is a pleasant little time capsule of a bygone age in online game advertising and marketing, stuffed with then-popular faces and musicians selling a tool that might later develop into recognized for its notorious Purple Ring of Demise points. A number of years again, Microsoft launched a documentary exploring the historical past of Xbox, and in case you missed it, it is an informative look behind the scenes of the ups and downs of the console model over the a long time.
